By Mary

October 1, 2008 9:45 PM | Link to this

Lou, maybe I am not the one who needs to “Get off the sports”. As you point out, other countries handle any support of sports outside the schools, “pay them (the athletes)”, and “educate them in the best schools”. Maybe if countries did the same thing for their best students, we would not have diseases, poverty, wars, starvation,pollution and failing infrastructures. We might have wide spread use of alternative energy sources and better air. The average dollar amount spent per athlete on facilities in Beijing (where air and poverty are really criminal)was over $3 million per athlete. Many of the facilities from the Athens Olympics lie in ruins and the citizens are left with the bills. So maybe people need to get real about how we do and finance sports and where sports lie on the political priority lists.

By lou

October 1, 2008 2:47 PM | Link to this

Mary, you are correct in saying that a lot of countries don’t have sports in school. The Government of many countries pay their national athletes and educate them in the best schools. The sport of Judo was developed for the Physical Education program in the schools in Japan. The 3rd most practiced sport in the world. Get off the sports. I agree that we need more vocational programs in our schools. We don’t even offer any fun electives like basic auto, real cooking classes, basic wood shop, or electronic classes. What a concept to offer classes that might actually get the kids to come to school and at the same time educate them. Some might find out what they like and if they are good at what they like.

By Mary

September 30, 2008 7:42 AM | Link to this

Deb, I agree with you about vocational programs. However, I could see where basic biology classes could benefit everyone, especially when it comes to diet and exercise for humans, and how to help avoid the demand for doctors and health care. I would think a lot of vocational workers should know how to protect their bones and muscles from injuries on the job. Independent One, for the umpteenth time, I am not antisports. However, I think how we do and pay for sports in schools and society is completely out of hand. Maybe we should blame sports for the current financial crisis leadership problems and the rampant greed since, as you imply, sports builds our leadership. Cheney was on the football team. Paulsen was a wrestler. Maybe we need new approaches as to what builds leadership. I am completely befuddled why that mantra gets a free ride. How in the world does sports build leadership any more than a good class in ethics and math and finances and economics and history and science and foreign language, etc. A lot of the banking and financial companies are also overinvested in sports. Scrap naming rights for stadiums and bowl games and get real. Lower interest rates and invest in infrastructure and customer service. A culture that expects schools, government and businesses to provide their entertainment are wussies.

By deb

September 28, 2008 7:35 AM | Link to this

But not everyone is good at math and science. I have managed to go through my entire life w/out ever having a biology class, and my life is not lacking in anything……The push appears to be math & science…more math & science. What about our students in the Big Eight urban districts?? Those kids need vocational programs….Teach them how to be construction works, auto-mechanics…Roofers…. how to start their own business. While I am able to take care of many home repairs, I am not climbing on my roof to fix it. Not every student MUST go to college to be financially successful. We must not forget to open doors to our students who aren’t going to be college-bound. Vocational tech programs do that. Too bad it is missing in many of our urban districts - where it might be very successful.

By Worried DPS Parent

September 27, 2008 10:59 PM | Link to this

Sometime in the mid-70’s the schools in our Local Education Authority (the British equivalent of a School District), actually decreased their hours by thirty minutes. Maybe the problems are not so much on the time spent in school but on where the focus is. Two years ago, when looking through the coursework for the planned homeschooling of our eldest son, via OHVA, I was astounded by some of the stuff they were expected to learn - stuff I remember not learning until a lot later in school. Also there was never any “serious” testing until the equivalent of 7th Grade, with the testing for our qualifications coming in the equivalents of Grades 10 and 12.

By Mary

September 27, 2008 12:48 PM | Link to this

Terri, I do not think other countries do sports the way our schools and colleges do -hours of practice after school, an emphasis on competition with other schools, driving or flying them to games all over the place, providing publicly funded trainers and coaches, etc. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I think for those types of activities, students join clubs outside the purview (and budgets) of the schools.

By Lea

September 26, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this

I agree that teams should practice, but FOUR HOURS every day? That would take my children to 7:30 PM. Then home, dinner, shower and bed. When do they have time for homework? No wonder America’s behind. More time in school might work, but probably not.

By IndependentOne

September 26, 2008 2:52 PM | Link to this

Mary, Mary, I hear everything you don’t like and never anything that you do! Athletics are so valuable for kids, they learn leadership, teamwork, good things! Could you lighten up sometimes? I don’t think there is a liberal or conservative conspiracy to harm kids with athletics! Exercise is pretty healthy! We should all incourage participation! I often wonder what caused you to be so anti schools - athletics - etc!

By Terri

September 26, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this

Other countries have students in school more hours a day - but what are they doing in that time? I don’t think necessarily studying the core subjects. Rather they spend time in music, art, and, yes, physical activity - yes sports. So extending the day/year shouldn’t be just to drill more in math and science.

By Mary

September 26, 2008 7:34 AM | Link to this

Laura, I think there used to be some words in Ohio Revised Code in the auditor’s section that school boards should set guidelines on the amount of time spent in “student activities”. Someone must have removed those words in the push for “local control”. In my experience, school boards do not set limits and seem to just want trophies and artificial turf.

By Laura

September 25, 2008 9:23 PM | Link to this

The sky is falling…I have to (sort of) agree with Mary’s last comment. It is ridiculous the amount of time that some sports teams (both school and select) expect the children to spend practicing. However, I disagree that it is always the schools that have the priority. There are a lot of parents out there who will do literally anything for their child to be on a winning team. As long as there are parents who demand win at all cost teams, the schools will feel pressured to do whatever they need to do to provide it.

By Mary

September 25, 2008 12:59 PM | Link to this

Rick, I think schools are part of the time management problem. I noticed in today’s Neighbor’s section that comes on Thursday’s with the Dayton Daily News, a local football team practices up to 4 hours a day after school. Why are schools setting these kinds of priorities for a student’s time? Where is the downtime, snack time, rest time, homework time, family time, chores time, etc?

By Rick

September 24, 2008 11:46 PM | Link to this

Yes, time makes a difference. That was the conclusion of the National Education Commission on Time and Learning. This commission was created by Public Law 102-62. This commission concluded: Time is the missing element in our great national debate about learning and the need for higher standards for all students. Our schools and the people involved with them-students, teachers, administrators, parents, and staff- are prisoners of time, captives of the school clock and calendar. We have been asking the impossible of our students-that they learn as much as their foreign peers while spending only half as much time in core academic subjects. The reform movement of the last decade is destine to founder unless it is harnessed to more time for learning. The report was printed in April 1994 by the Government Printing Office.

By Mary

September 24, 2008 7:38 AM | Link to this

No use lengthening the day if they are not learning anything anyway. It just makes kids crazier. School is not supposed to be a holding cell. I was glad to see my son with more free time under PSEO/college classes. I preferred seeing him fritter away his time at home with responsiblity for his own decisions than at school where he was regimented to the school schedule with no challenge or positive intellectual stimulation. He at least relearned ownership of his time. As the saying goes (I forget who said it), “your time is your most valuable coin. Don’t let anyone else spend it for you.” I read something somewhere in the past week about approaches to school where students are faced less with lectures and more with academic exploration.